PVC pipes have become a critical necessity in Upper Mustang, Nepal, where they’re used to transfer irrigated water across eroded expanses from one field to the next or into reservoirs where water is held for use in the dry seasons. With imminent landslides and floods, PVC pipes are often broken into pieces by the natural forces of the Himalayan climate. These PVC pipe sections were repurposed into a slide for a day care center in the royal city of Lo Manthang.

PVC Spindles Photo: Liesl Clark

Spools for yarn are made from 6-inch-long sections of PVC piping often used to divert rainwater from rooftops.

The tradition of weaving local wool and making clothes is alive and well in Upper Mustang. Photo: Liesl Clark

In such a remote corner of the world, PVC pipes would be an eyesore and a challenge to dispose of safely. So, locals have found many uses for the broken pipes in their region. Here, the commingling of tradition with newly-discovered reuses from waste that would otherwise be useless is resulting in boundless opportunity of those who are creative at heart.

CD door protector, Photo: Liesl Clark

CDs are used in jeeps to reinforce the plastic door-siding behind window handles. Such a dry and brittle environment wreaks havoc on jeep interiors. This reuse of CDs has proven invaluable to the long-life of the local work-horse vehicles which have only been running in Upper Mustang for the past 4 years due to the construction of a new road down from the border with Tibet.

What was once a horse caravan trade route is now a high altitude jeep road. Rare flat stretch between Tsarang and Gami.

Have you seen any creative reuses of PVC pipes and CDs? Please tell us your story or send a photo for us to include in this post.

We have more PVC or CD reuse ideas at our Trash Backwards app. Just input “PVC” or “CD” and you’ll find some great reduce, reuse, and recycle ideas for them, along with any other item you can think of typing in. Here’s a sample of what you’ll see under “CDs”:

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